A Scene From Those Missing Years
by StoryDiva
Summary: During her time as Julia Thorne, Sydney has a dealing with Logan Cale and his friend, Max. An AliasDark Angel crossover written for crossover challenge. Slight femmeslash.


_**A Scene From Those Missing Years**_

Sydney Bristow was trying hard to separate herself from Julia Thorne and the two missing years of her life. After her conversation on the plane with Kendall, she could only imagine the sort of things she had endured that would drive her to have her memories removed. She was in a fog she hadn't felt since she had awakened in Tai Pai earlier that year. She found herself sitting in the train station, watching people come and go, wondering if she had met them in a different life.

How many people had she crossed paths with? How many faces in a crowd might she have known? How many people thought they knew her?

Kendall spoke of the lives she had saved by acting as a double operative. Because Sydney was on the inside as Julia Thorne, deaths had been averted and the government had most of that information.

* * *

One of Julia Thorne's earliest assignments for the Covenant was to assassinate one Logan Cale of Seattle, Washington. This assignment was her initiation into the world of terrorist activity, a mission she had to complete before she would ever be able to get away and make contact with the CIA. So Sydney did what she always did best – she played the part. She became Julia Thorne, smiling and laughing and behaving like a puppet for anyone who came near her.

Sydney had never heard of Logan Cale. The Covenant wasn't big on answering questions and Sydney couldn't imagine what some young guy with a large trust fund had done to piss off an organization like the Covenant. It wasn't like he had any real power.

"Julia, this is your target," the older man, her handler (if that term applied in this situation), told her as he spread out a portfolio on his desk. "We've received Intel that this man is the head of an underground news group."

"The Covenant is scared of an idealist that no one probably listens to?"

"This young man has been doing some digging where he shouldn't and the Covenant would rather handle this now before it becomes a problem."

"Understood," Julia replied.

"You leave for Seattle this evening," he replied. He appraised her posture and neutral expression before adding, "You will have back-up on this one. A man will meet you at the airport."

Sydney knew that she couldn't let an innocent man die, but Julia Thorne was supposed to be void of emotion, a trained killing machine that did the Covenant's bidding. And Sydney realized that if she planned to escape, she had to earn the Covenant's trust. She studied the file of information – complete with a detailed schedule of the target's movements – and tried to think up a plan where everybody could win.

Her Julia voice laughed at her. Knew it wasn't going to be that easy, and it wasn't.

* * *

Her partner on the mission, a Russian guy who went by Monty, had secured her an alias to work under to get close enough to Logan and the poison she was to use on the guy. The Covenant was very clear – it could not look like a professional hit.

For the first few days in Seattle, Monty didn't leave her side. Sydney wasn't sure how she was going to warn her mark that he was in trouble, or how to get around the whole "he must die" thing. She had already taken one innocent life in order to save herself, and she wasn't sure she had it in her to do it again. She had seen too much innocent death in her lifetime and would be damned if she would be responsible for another one.

Finally, a bit of luck came Sydney's way in the form of a bartender down the street from her hotel. The bartender had taken quite a fancy to Monty and the mutual infatuation provided Sydney with ample time to make her way downtown without being noticed.

She had spent the last few nights mulling over the different ways this could all go down and she knew that there was only one way for this to play out. The Covenant had to be convinced Logan Cale was dead and then he had to go into hiding.

She knew his schedule well enough to know that he wouldn't be in the apartment at the moment. However, it was best for her to get inside and be ready to deal with things as soon as possible. She pulled a file out of her bag and easily opened the door.

Sydney glanced around the apartment, filled with paintings and sculptures, and wondered how any of this belonged to some underground politico-wannabe. At the same time, she felt a pang of understanding. She knew what it was to have a secret life, to maintain another identity in order to attempt to do the right thing.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the door open or the footsteps of another person entering the room. She didn't realize she wasn't alone until a punch in the gut sent her flying into the opposite wall. She jumped up, but was blindsided and her legs were kicked out from underneath her. She groaned and said, "I'm not…"

Two hands pulled her up and pinned her to the wall. Sydney forced her eyes to focus and she took in a petite girl dressed all in leather. The girl couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old, but she held Sydney up against the wall with enormous force. Sydney met the girl's gaze and said, "I've come to help Logan."

The girl leaned in closer, so close that Sydney wondered if she was about to be kissed or killed, and said, "By breaking into his place. Right."

"He's in trouble."

"Save your little song and dance for the cops."

This was a Sydney mission, but the Julia voice took over. "The cops can't hold me."

"Funny how I can though," the girl replied tightening her grip on Sydney.

Sydney used the girl's brashness to her favor and knocked her head against the girl's forehead. It stunned the girl long enough for Sydney to get control of her legs and arms again. The girl recovered quickly and came at Sydney full force, but Sydney was able to hold her own.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The voice caused Sydney to hesitate and that was all it took for the girl to pin her to floor. The girl sat on her chest and said, "Logan, you've got company."

"I'm here to help him."

"Max, let her go."

"She tried to kill me."

"I did no such thing."

"You would have if I gave you the chance."

"If I wanted you dead, you would be," Sydney snapped.

The girl practically growled when Logan pushed her back and moved to help Sydney off the floor. She wiped the trickle of blood from her mouth and fully took the young girl in. Beautiful, headstrong, and not a mark on her from their encounter.

"You're actually going to listen to her?" Max replied.

"She seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to find me, Max," Logan replied evenly. He motioned to his table and Sydney took a seat. He asked, "Who are you?"

"Julia Thorne."

"Should that mean something to me?" Logan asked.

"No, but my employer's name probably does."

"Okay…"

"I've been sent by the Covenant to kill you, Mr. Cale. You've been digging around in matters that they are trying very hard to hide from most major governments. Imagine how bad it would be if some random guy with a computer was able to cause them harm."

Logan glanced at Max and replied, "One of my sources a few months ago mentioned that name to me. I didn't know what it meant, so I was doing some investigating."

"You need to stop. And we need to come up with a plan to keep you alive."

"So, who are you exactly? The assassin with the heart of gold?" Max asked.

Sydney met her gaze. She knew Max was trying to intimidate her, but Sydney didn't blink. Instead she sighed and said, "I don't want any more innocent blood on my hands if I can avoid it."

"Oh. Right. Sure thing, lady," Max replied. She turned to Logan and said, "We need to put her out of commission and get you out of here."

Logan shook his head and turned back to face Sydney. He asked, "Why would you tell me this? Why not do what your employer wants?"

Sydney decided her best bet was to lay the truth out there. She didn't have many other options and she couldn't spend the rest of her night attempting to convince them she was on the level. She took a deep breath and said, "Up until about six months ago, I was a CIA agent named Sydney Bristow. That changed when members of the Covenant kidnapped me, faked my death, and attempted to brainwash me to work for them. I've been playing along with their games in order to escape, but they don't trust me yet. I have a feeling that your death is a test of sorts."

"_You_ work for the CIA? Logan, you aren't really buying this are you?" Max questioned.

"Check out my story if you don't believe me."

"You could just be pretending to be this dead chick."

"I can't force you to believe me, but if we don't come up with a plan in the next few hours, Logan is as good as dead," Sydney replied.

Logan sat quietly for what felt like minutes, but was only seconds. Finally, he said, "What can we do?"

"I've thought about it and I've come up with a plan…"

* * *

That was how it began. It would all depend on timing and a bit of luck from that point out.

Sydney sat in the car, thinking about what she was about to do. If this didn't go off smoothly, her brainwashing would be revealed to have been a bust and she'd be eliminated. She had done everything on her end and she could only hope that Logan was able to get everything ready from where he was.

There was also the Max factor to deal with. She had insisted on being present during the execution of the plan and she wasn't the type to take "no" for an answer. It was something Sydney both admired and despised in the girl. She could see herself in Max at times, and that scared her.

Monty pulled up to the street corner where Logan's apartment building was located. He tossed her the drugs and said, "Don't screw up."

He drove off without another word and Sydney made her way into the apartment building. She put the drugs in her bag and leaned back against the elevator railing with a bored look on her face. She had to play the part at all times. She never knew when they were watching and she had to remove any doubts from the Covenant's mind about her.

Before she even knocked, the door opened. Sydney's hand reflexively moved to her jaw where Max had punched her yesterday at the sight of the girl's sour expression. The girl had been unlike any other opponent Sydney had faced in the past – quick, flexible, and strong. It seemed that the Covenant had underestimated Logan Cale and his ability to protect himself.

"Do you have it?" Max asked.

Sydney nodded and said, "I have both sets of drugs. We need to make sure that no one doubts Logan's death."

"I still think I should just find your employers and teach them a lesson."

"Max, don't be ridiculous." Both Sydney and Max turned in the direction of the voice. The young man glanced back and forth between the girls and added, "These people are dangerous."

"And their pockets and influence go far," Sydney finished.

Max crossed her arms and glared at her. Sydney respected that – how Max stood by the people she cared about and didn't take well to being told to settle down – but found it rather annoying at the moment. She was on a schedule and, if that schedule deviated even slightly, she was the one who would end up dead.

"I still don't trust you or this plan," Max stated.

Sydney replied, "You don't have much of a choice. If I don't succeed, they'll kill me and send in someone else. Someone who won't be so kind as to warn you."

"I can take care of Logan."

"Without exposing yourself?"

Max's expression changed and Sydney continued, "I'm not an amateur, Max. I noticed your barcode during our scuffle yesterday."

"So I've got a tattoo. Since when is that a crime?"

"It's from Project Manticore. You're one of the kids that escaped," Sydney replied, though it felt like a Julia thing to say. She met both Max and Logan's gazes and said, "I do my research. It's how I've always stayed alive."

"If you think you can scare me off, you've got another thing coming."

Sydney laughed. "I'm not trying to intimidate you, simply pointing out that the two of you need me as much as I need you at the moment."

Before Max could respond, Logan moved forward. He took the bag and said, "How long will I appear dead with this other drug?"

"The effects of the drug last about forty-eight hours. We will also need to put a small trace of the poison into your system to cover our tracks."

"You're bent if you think he's—"

"—the amount I'm talking about isn't enough to cause him harm. I've read up on this drug as much as I could. We should be okay and, if the Covenant tries to verify my kill, they'll find the poison in his bloodstream."

"I thought it had to look like an accident. Those were your words," Max said. She stared at Sydney and added, "If they can find the poison, haven't you done your job wrong?"

"Look. This isn't easy. I realize that. And I know you're trying to look out for your friend, but we have to trust each other on this. I'm here to help, but we have to be convincing with this. The Covenant won't buy this without sufficient proof."

"Fine," Max replied.

"Now, once we put you under, it will be Max's job to call it in and then to revive you in forty-eight hours time. From there, you've got to disappear, Logan. No more Seattle. No more underground news show. No more knowledge of anything Covenant-related. It's the only way that you'll stay hidden."

"I know."

"And this information can't leave this room. The Covenant has eyes and ears everywhere."

* * *

During the clean up of the room, after Logan was placed into the chemical-induced coma, Sydney found herself staring at Max. There was so much she wanted to say to her and she wasn't sure where that came from. Sydney never attempted to be anyone's mentor and Max didn't seem like the type to need one.

Still Sydney placed her hand on Max's shoulder as she stood on the periphery of Logan's room. She said gently, "He's going to be fine. I'll do everything in my power to make sure he remains that way."

Max turned to face her and it was a different look than Sydney was used to – vulnerable almost. She said, "He's family to me."

"I know."

"I don't have much of that."

"We can't afford to. It gets the people we care about killed," Sydney said.

"Speaking from experience?"

"Unfortunately."

Max leaned into Sydney's grip, resting her head on Sydney's shoulder, and said, "I know my secret's safe with you."

Sydney would decide later on, during the car ride to the airport with Monty, that what happened next was not a Sydney move. It was as though Julia had taken over for a brief period of time. Julia, who was free and wild and cared about nothing and no one. Julia, who appreciated beautiful women on a level that Sydney had never felt compelled to.

Her hands ran along Max's sides and rested on her hips, pressing Max further against her, while her lips lowered to Max's shoulders and neck, leaving a trail of kisses along the way. It was when she bit down on Max's earlobe that the younger girl turned around. Her eyes were wide, but not worried, and Max leaned forward until they were kissing.

It was a moment of need, of reassurance from the only other person who was available. At least that was what Sydney told herself when she would think of Max and Logan and everything that happened after that.

* * *

Sydney sat on the bench and stared down at the file Kendall had given her. He blathered on about breaking standard practice because she had earned it and slid the file across the table to her.

Her hand traced over the clipping of a young man and she thought about what their encounter must have been like.

Never would she imagine how it had really happened or a girl named Max, who was never once mentioned in any article or FBI briefing.

_Fin_


End file.
